Starfleet investigates disappearance of a second starship in the Borderlands

ARCHANIS SYSTEM — A Starfleet vessel has gone missing in the volatile region along Klingon space known as the Borderlands.
The USS Spartan, a Defiant class escort, was undergoing propulsion trials when it went missing last month near the Archanis system. Although no connection has yet been made between the Spartan’s disappearance and the disappearance of the USS Hermes earlier this year in the same region, anonymous sources point to some troubling parallels. The Hermes was eventually found by the USS Gemini, having been overtaken by a rogue Klingon, Commander Koval. The FNS has learned that a Klingon bird-of-prey has also gone missing not far from the Spartan‘s last known position.
“I have no comment on that,” said Starfleet Public Affairs officer Commander A.J. Ciaravolo in San Francisco. “Rest assured that Starfleet Command is investigating all possibilities, including reaching out to our Klingon allies for assistance.”
The USS Gemini has been dispatched from Deep Space 224 to locate the Spartan. Just a few weeks prior, Commander Liam Frost had held a memorial service for Lt. JG Vanessa Driscoll, and the crew was finally able to get some rest at the station. The Gemini also picked up new crew members and worked on routine maintenance. Lt. Cmdr. Alexander Richards left the Gemini to take a sabbatical, leaving the science department in Lt. JG Loleh Rejock’s hands. As the Gemini embarks on its mission, questions have now been turned to the Spartan and her crew.
The Spartan’s commanding officer Captain Jeremy Clarkson is a veteran officer with nearly thirty years experience. Hailing from Earth, Clarkson has had a somewhat mixed career with his personnel file boasting both a number of commendations and reprimands, and he was at one point threatened with disciplinary measures putting his commission in jeopardy. When asked about the possibility of a Starfleet captain having gone rogue, Commander Ciaravolo was quick to dismiss the suggestions.
“Frankly, I think that’s a bit unfair to Captain Clarkson and his crew. I know the media is eager to find the next Harrison Ross out there,” said Ciaravolo, referring to the Starfleet commander who abandoned his ship the USS Garuda in an apparent act of treason on stardate 239106.11. “Until some new information is brought to light, we’re focussed right now on just finding the Spartan and making sure her crew is safe.”